Berlin’s Gulasch: A Stirring of Home

Fifteen years ago, I left New York City to move to Berlin. I was born in Berlin to foreign parents, an Italian from Rome and an American from Philadelphia, at a time when the city was still split in two. When my parents marriage ended a few years later, my father and I moved to Boston while my mother stayed in Berlin. The rest of my childhood was, like the city in which it started, defined by fracture: the determinative emotion being the terrible tug of a missing parent, of an insatiable search for home.  

The Comfort of Food, the Strength of Community

It wasn’t until I was a young woman, living with friends in New York City, that I discovered the power of cooking. With a simple act, each dish became a bridge to my past, a connection with my heritage, a source of comfort and joy.  Simply by lighting a fire under a pot I could recreate the familiar flavors of my father’s home cooking or the steadying scents of my Sicilian uncle’s family feasts. Cooking connected us. More than just a portal to the comforts of home, cooking became a secret weapon for my emotional well-being.  

A lusty paprika-laced pork and sauerkraut stew to warm the bones, lift the spirits, and blanket eaters in a cozy veil of comfort.

Learning to nourish myself and others daily felt like a superpower. It was something I was good at, something I was known for, the glue of my community. Now, years later, when my young children sit down to a home-cooked meal in the evening, I know — even if they don’t, yet — that I am laying the groundwork for their future lives. Cooking is more than just a means to an end, it is an enriching activity that will underpin their entire lives. 

Knowing how to cook feels especially important when the grey cloak of winter settles around us. This is when we turn inwards, reaching out to friends and loved ones to keep us company in defiance of the low winter skies and long, dark nights that define a Berlin winter. The comforting braises and stews of Germany and Austria are especially fitting in this time. And, over time, I have found that creating community through shared meals and traditions continues to be the best way to survive these dark winters. It is deeply touching, as the days shorten and the sun disappears behind a heavy bank of clouds that lasts for weeks, to see so many friends reaching out to hold and be held. We see each other. We feed each other. 

Szegediner Gulasch: A Stew with a Story

For those gatherings, a simple, rib-sticking meal feels both obvious and essential. Berliners are a tough crowd; guests care little for lavish ingredients and culinary pretension. The core goal of these meals is to provide togetherness, with minimal work and maximum comfort. Szegediner Gulasch, a lusty pork and sauerkraut stew flavored with paprika and enriched with sour cream, is the perfect candidate: a dish to warm the bones, lift the spirits, and blanket eaters in a cozy veil of comfort. The tangy crunch of sauerkraut is the perfect foil to the rich, spoon-soft pork. The savory alchemy of caraway, bay, and marjoram perfume the stew. 

Like me, Szegediner Gulasch is born from a history of cultural crossroads. It originated in the Hungarian city of Szeged but likely came from Siebenbürgen, the ancestral home of the Székely people, now part of Romania. The recipe below serves at least eight. I recommend serving this with boiled potatoes to bulk out the plate and soak up the savory gravy. A bonus: because the stew reheats well, it can be made in advance, which feels key to a relaxed evening. 

Thanks to my friend Stephen Bitterolf of the New York wine import company Vom Boden, I can suggest that Szegediner Gulasch pairs beautifully with a German Trollinger. This red wine’s bright acidity and juicy fruit cut through the rich flavors of the pork for an elegant final balance. For a more robust and brooding choice, seek out a Blaufränkisch. The dark fruit and peppery spice create a delightful symbiosis with the opulence of the stew. Either way, a good glass of wine can elevate this simple meal into a celebration of flavor and friendship. Best served perhaps by flickering candlelight while the winds howl outside, to make you feel steadied and strengthened, and at home.

Szegediner Gulasch
Paprika-Braised Pork and Sauerkraut Stew

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup/60 ml vegetable oil
• 3.3 lbs/1.5 kgs pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch/2.5 cm pieces
• 5 or 6 onions, diced
• 1 tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup/60 g tomato paste
• 4 cups/1 L vegetable broth
• 2 small bay leaves or 1 large one
• 1 lb/500 g sauerkraut
• 1 tbsp dried marjoram
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 2/3 cups/400 g sour cream
• Peeled, boiled potatoes, for serving

Preparation

1. Place the vegetable oil in a very large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the pork pieces on one side until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, then flip and brown the other side. Don’t crowd the pot. Depending on your pot size, this should be done in three or four batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl, then repeat with the remaining pork.

2. When all the pork has browned, scrape the onions into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and taken on color, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes, stirring, until the paste has loosened and combined with the onions.

3. Return the meat and all its juices to the pot and stir well, then pour in the broth. Add the bay leaves to the pot. Once the liquid starts to boil, turn down the heat and cover the pot. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. 

4. After 1 1/2 hours, stir in the sauerkraut, marjoram, caraway, and both paprikas. Raise the heat until it begins to simmer again, then lower the heat and cover the pot. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if desired. 

5. Remove the bay leaves and, off heat, stir in the sour cream. Serve with peeled, boiled potatoes.